NFL Game of the Week: Seahawks vs. Cowboys

Two teams with very different Thanksgiving performances face off Thursday night in Arlington as the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys play host to the 6-5 Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle is in a midseason slump, losing three of their last four games. Most recently, the 49ers feasted on the Seahawks Thanksgiving night winning 31-13 at Lumen Field.

Seattle’s offense has been poor these past few weeks, scoring just three offensive touchdowns in the past four weeks. While Geno Smith’s seat is not hot, you can certainly feel it starting to warm.

If you are a team with offensive woes, the last defense you want to face is the Cowboys. The Cowboys' defense has been superb this season, ranking second in pass defense, third in total defense, and tied for third in sacks per game.

The Seahawks' offensive line will look to contain a fierce Cowboys pass rush led by all-pro Micah Parsons. Parsons has been the X factor for the Cowboys this year, racking up 11.5 sacks in just 11 games.

Along with Parsons, Seattle will need to silence defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Demarcus Lawrence, who’ve tallied 5.0 and 4.0 sacks, respectively.

While stopping the Cowboys' pass rush is a difficult task, Seattle’s offensive line received a much-needed boost this week with the return of right tackle Abraham Lucas. Lucas has been sidelined since week one with a knee injury but had a stellar rookie performance the previous season.

The Cowboys have not lost a game at home this season and are coming off the back of a three-game winning streak. However, the Cowboys' wins came against the Commanders, Panthers, and Giants, three teams with a combined record of 9-26.

Dallas has not beaten a team with a record above .500 this season. Seattle will give the Cowboys a great chance to collect their first win against an above .500 team.

Both teams understand the importance of this game.

The Cowboys hold the first wild card and are in no immediate danger of missing the playoffs. However, Dallas needs to be nearly perfect in these final six games to catch first-place Philadelphia in the NFC East.

Seattle currently occupies the second wild card spot, half a game ahead of 6-6 Minnesota, who hold the last wild card spot, and a game ahead of the 5-6 Rams and the 5-6 Packers.

Seattle’s remaining schedule is difficult. After the Cowboys, they travel to San Francisco for a Thanksgiving rematch versus the 49ers before returning home to play the Eagles. Then, in Week 17, Seattle will play host to a Pittsburgh team with one of the most dominant defenses in the league.

Wins may be hard to come by for the Seahawks, which makes every game critical down the stretch.

If Seattle’s schedule is tough, Dallas’ schedule is brutal. Next week, they host the 10-1 NFC leading Eagles before starting a two-week AFC East road trip that sees them play the 6-6 Bills and the 8-3 Dolphins. The Cowboys close the regular season with games against the 8-3 Lions and the 4-8 Washington Commanders.

A few teams have second-half collapses every year and fall short of post-season football. Whichever team loses on Thursday Night should be moved to the very top of the NFL fraud watch list.

Owen Cameros is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email Ohc5024@psu.edu.